The perceptions of palliative care medical practitioners towards oral health: A descriptive qualitative study

Oral health problems are common, but often overlooked, among people receiving palliative care.

To better understand how oral health can be addressed in this population, this study aimed to explore the perceptions of oral health care among medical practitioners who provide palliative care to inform the development of a palliative oral health care program.

A descriptive qualitative design was adopted.

A single focus group was conducted with 18 medical practitioners at a palliative care facility in Sydney, Australia. All participants had experience providing palliative care services to clients. The focus group was audio recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.

The results from the inductive thematic analysis identified four themes. The themes highlighted that participants were aware of the oral health needs of people receiving palliative care; however, they also reflected on the complexity in delivering oral health care across the healthcare settings, as well as the challenges around cost, lack of appropriate dental referral pathways, time constraints and limited awareness. Participants also provided recommendations to improve the delivery of oral health care to individuals receiving palliative care.

To improve the provision of oral health care in this population, this study highlighted the need for oral health training across the multidisciplinary team, standardised screening assessments and referrals, a collective responsibility across the board and exploring the potential for teledentistry to support oral health care provision.